Automatic air-brake hose-coupling for cars.



E. J. BRIGKER.

AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKE HOSE GOUPLING FOR (JARS.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 1o, 1911.

7%@ ZZ M WwM YHE NURRIS PETERS C0 Pl-NmllfHD WASHINGTON. D4 C.

E. J. BRICKER.

AUTOMATIG AIR BRAKE HOSE GOUPLING FOR GARS.

APPLIGATION FILED JULY 1o, 1911.

Patented 0013.6, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE MORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO-LIIHM., AIASHINGTON. D. C.

E. J. BRIGKER.

AUTOMATIC AIR BRAKE HOSE coUPLING PoR GARS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10, 1911.

1, 1 12,973. Patented 0ct.6, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

l? F .5. X-

YHE NORRIS PETERS CU.. PHOTO-LITHO., WASHINGTON. D. C.

\ i UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

NEAPOLIS, 1VIINNESOTA.`

' EIJWAED J. BEICKEE, or MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, AssIGNoE or ONE-HALE Toy oEEEN E. sArroItn AND ONE-TENTII To WILLIAM M. CHOWNINGUEOTH `or MIN- AUTOMATIC AIR-BRAKE HosE-coUPLING Fora cARs. l

Specification ofiLetters Patent. v v Patented Oct. 6,1914l l Application filed :ruiy 1o, iaii. serial No. 637,592.

State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Auto-` matic Air-Brake Hose-Coupler for Cars;` and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact `description of the` invention, such as will; enable others skilled in `the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. t i i `My present invention has for its obJect to provide anautomatic hosecoupler for railway trains, and `to'such) ends the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

`Freight trains usually have but one air` pipe with flexible hose couplers, while passenger trains usually havethree suchpipes, one for the air brakes, one` for the air actuating signal system, `andanother for the steam heatingsystem. y i

My invention providesautomatic couplers which will automaticallyiconnect the cou` pling `hose of any one orall of` these pip@` systems. y s, y

In the accompanying drawings `which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views. y y

Referring `to the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation with` some parts broken away showing the improved automatic hose coupler applied in working `position; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section Itaken approximately on the liiiewft'z` m2 of Fig.` 1;

Figf is a plan view of oneiof the coupling devices; Fig. 4l is a vertical section taken on the line x4 of Fig.` 8; Fig. 5 is a` section taken on the line 0 05 m5 oflig.` 4; Fig.` 6 is an elevation lookingl at the inner `or left hand end portion.` of the coupler shown in Fig; and `Figg'? is a fragmen-` tary view in side elevation showing the alining plates or flanges off the hose coupler heads.

`The numerals 1, 2 and indibate, respec` tively,xthe bodies, the wheels, and the co-` operating couplers of an ordinary car, some parts being broken away `and some parts being removed, the said parts `being of standard or any suitable construction. The car i couplers are assumed to be of `the Master Car Builders type, which,` as is well known,

are mounted for lateral oscillations and are providedwith knuckles 4:, pivotally con-.i

nected thereto by pins or bolts 5. For a purpose `which will `presently appear, the

lower end of thesebolts or pins 5 are proe of the coupler heads so that they cannotI oscillate or rotate in respect thereto.

The `cars illustrated are assumed to be@ coaches or cars of a passenger train `and.`

whichare provided withair brake pipes, air signaling pipes, and steampipes, the same having, respectively, flexiblecoupling hose 7, 8 and 9,

The hose coupling` heads 10 are hollow i funnel shaped constructions, preferably rectangular in cross-section and having hollow shanks l1 into which` are `telescoped` supplemental shanks 12. These supplemen-` tal shanks12 are connected by universal hinge joints 13 to the laterally bent endsof v l,

supporting arms or brackets 14:, shownas afforded with bentrods or` bars. At their outer ends, supporting arms la have square seats that fit and are rigidly secured to the square Shanks 6` of therespectivebolts 5 of the car couplers 3. `Compression springs 15, are placed aroundthe supplemental shanks 12 and are compressed between the, ends of the shanks 11 and the laterally bent ends of the arms 14. At their `inner ends, r the shanks 11 are provided with `flanges 16, a

to which upper, lower and side chains, or

flexible connections 17, are attached.` These` chains are also divergingand attached to projections 14 of the supporting armflli.'

These chains 17 limit the outward movements of the hose coupler heads 10, under,

the action of the springs 15 and connect the said hose coupler heads `and their Shanks to the supporting arm or bracket 14 with freethe hose coupling action. Also, it will `be noted that the hose couplingheads are, by their supporting `arm 14, carried from and are movable with respect to the car couplers `3, but are capable of yielding movements in` respect thereto. The movements of thehosey ico coupling heads in respect to the car coupler heads is important because it always brings4 the former into position for initial engagement with the coperating hose coupling head, when two cars are bumped t0- gether, and this vis especially important when two cars are coupled together' on a curve.

Each hose coupling head 10, at one side, is provided with three inwardly opening ports 7a, 8a and 9a, which ports are vertically alined and arenormally closed by yan overlapping valve 18 which, as shown, is in the form of a valve plate engaged at its outer end at 19 to a projection 20 of the corresponding head 10. A spring 21 connected to a projection of the valve plate 18 and to the corresponding head 10, normally holds the said valve 18 in a position to yieldingly close the cooperating ports above noted. The said ports 7a, 8a and 9a are connected, respectively to short metal pipe sections or stems, 7b, 8b and 9", to which the coupling hose 7, 8 and 9 are respectively connected. Attention is called to the fact that the said pipes 7b, 8b and 9b are shown as provided with longitudinally spaced ends and that in Fig 1, the said stems of the one hose coupler lie directly behind those of the other so that onlyv three thereof appear in the said view. The extreme inner or free ends of the valve plate 18 are as shown, adapted to bek pressed or moved laterally through clearance passages 22, formed in the outer side walls of the'hose coupler heads 10. To insure pro-per alinement of the ports 7a, 8a and 9L of the hose coupling heads, each coupling head 10 is provided at its inner side with tapered forwardly projecting and rigidly secured guide plates or fianges 23 and 2%, the former of which arevertically disposed and the latter of which are horizontally disposed. The extensible shanks of the hose coupling heads are preferably further supported from the car couplers 3 by short chains or flexible connections 27, which sustain the greater art of the weight of the hose coupling heads. lt is important thatthe ports 7a, 8'EL and 9a be vertically arranged or spaced, for, if longitudinally spaced, their order would be reversed in the hose couplers of different cars.

The operation is substantially as follows :l

l/Vhen two cars are bumped together so as to engage the car couplers 3, the ahning flanges 23-24 of one hose coupler will enter long as the two car couplers 3 are coupled together. Vhen the two hose coupling heads are forced together, the alining ange 24 of *automatically and instantly close the respective ports 7a, 8a and 9, and prevent the said gports from being clogged by snow, ice, or dirt. When the hose coupling heads are connected, they remain rigid, the one in respect to the other, and certain movements `incident to irregularities in the road bed, or

the vertical movements of the car bodies, or'

the angular movements in traveling curves, vwill take place at the universal hinge joints .13. The supplemental shanks 12 are loosely telescoped into the shanks 11 so that they will permit slight movements on the hinges 13, kwithout forcing the coupled hose coupling [heads 10 to move in respect jto each other.:

ISometimes, it will be necessary to connect a Scar having the air brake, signaling and steamv ;pipes with another car, such as a freight :c ar, which has only one pipe, to-wit, an air ibrake pipe, and has no automatic coupling ihead. To provide for this the stud pipe or :stems 7b to which. the air brake hose 7 is attached, may be provided with a laterally projecting nipple 25, to which an ordinary :air brake hose 26 is attachedl for usetwhen desired. These emergency coupling hose 25 are shown as broken off in Fig. 1, but it will {be understood that they will be provided with suitable normally closed valves.V

'What I claim is:

1. The combination with a car having suitable car couplers and coupling hose for fair brake systems, and the like, of automatically engageable hose couplers suspended from said car'couplers, vthe said 'hose couplers having recessed heads and guide flanges, ports leading from said heads, coupling hose for communication with the said ports, and valves normally closing said ports and extending across the mouths lof said recessed heads, the said guide flanges arranged to enter the recessed heads of connected hose couplers, to open said valves and aline the cooperating ports leading therefrom.

2. The combination with a lcarV having suitable car couplers and coupling hose for air brake systems, and the like, of automatically engageable hose couplers suspended from said car couplers, the said hose couplers having recessed heads and guide flanges, a multiplicity of vertically spaced ports opening laterally from said heads, coupling hose for communication with said ports, and' spring pressed valves hinged to said heads and extending across the mouths thereofl fort normally clos- 3. Thecomblnation with a car and a oar coupler connected therewith, said car coupler having a pivoted `knuckle and a nonrotary knuckle pin connectingsaid knuckle to the coupler head, of an automatic hose coupling head having a telescopically eX- tensible shank, a bracket connected to said knuckle pin and to `which the relatively fixed section of said extensible shank is ful.- crumed, a spring applied to said extensible shank tending to project said hose coupling l head outward, and a flexible supporting connection between said coupler and said extensible shank, substantially as described.

4f. The combination with cars havingsuitable carcouplers, of hose coupling heads slipported `from said cars and adapted to be automatically engaged, said hose coupling closed against the air pressure in the said heads i and adapted to be automatically opened by a coperating hose coupling` head, 30 gether, the hinged ends of said valves being when two coupling heads are forced .to`

located outward of their free ends. y

In testimony whereof I aiiix mysigna` ture in presence of two witnesses.`

EDWARD J; BRICKER.` y

. Witnesses: i

HARRY D. KILeoRE, y F. D. 'MERCHANT'.

Copiesof this patent maybe obtained for ve cents each, by addressing` `the Commissioner of Patents, i Washington, D. C. l

`25 heads having hinged valves yieldingly j` y 

